Stuck
by PrincessCeliel
Summary: When an accident in Charms causes Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy to get stuck together, Hermione assumes that Headmaster Dumbledore will be able to free them...only he can't. The pair are forced to be together, and beliefs are questioned, sanities are threatened, and the whole of Hogwarts is thrown upside down in the mix.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Harry Potter - this is just an idea that I got after reading quite a few stories like it. I understand that it's an overdone cliche, but I happen to like putting my own spins on cliches. I would appreciate reviews.**

**Also, this is the Harry Potter universe for this story: Voldemort has been destroyed, and only a select few people have died (obviously not the people in the story). Draco and his mother were found to be not guilty. Narcissa had helped during the war, and since Draco was forced to do what he did under blackmail for the safety of his family, he was let go. The other Slytherins were pretty much the same, or else they were neutral. No one but their fathers really wanted to help the Dark Lord, and it is a sensitive subject for all the Hogwarts students, Slytherin or not. **

"Ron!" Hermione hissed under her breath. "That's not the right way to say it."

Ron glared at Hermione. "Hermione, it's a spell to attract rocks."

"Inanimate objects." Hermione corrected. "You're only using rocks for the experiment."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Hermione turned back to Neville and smiled. Neville smiled back and promptly dropped his wand.

"Here, I'll get it for you." Hermione offered, standing up.

"Thanks." Neville sighed.

Hermione chased the stick of wood around the classroom. She snatched it up and returned to Neville, slightly breathless, when Draco Malfoy pushed past her.

"Hey! Watch it, Granger." He snapped.

"You're the one who bumped into me, Malfoy." Hermione snarled back.

She moved away – or she would have, anyway. As soon as she reached Neville, her eyes widened suddenly and she barely had time to squeal before she rocketed backward into Malfoy. The two of them tumbled into the ground.

"God, Granger, if you're that desperate to have me, just say something." Malfoy groaned.

"Shut up." Hermione retorted. She could feel her face flushing as everyone's eyes were drawn to them. She stood up and walked away.

Once again, however, as soon as she got close to her desk, she practically flew backward. Malfoy let out a grunt as he was pinned to the ground.

"Mr. Malfoy! Miss Granger!" Snape snapped.

Hermione bit back a sigh. Of all the teachers, Snape had to be the one substituting.

"I don't understand, Professor." Hermione began nervously. "We can't move more than ten feet apart!"

"That's enough." Snape growled. "Everyone, sit down. Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, stand up."

The pair got to their feet, and Snape turned to the class.

"What spell were you working on today, Mr. Longbottom?"

"A spell to create a magnetic attraction between inanimate objects, Professor." Neville whispered.

"Now, Potter," Snape glowered. "See if you can answer this – how are the spells specifically supposed to be cast?"

"Uh –" Harry blinked.

Snape sighed impatiently. "I mean, Potter, what are you supposed to focus and point the wand at?"

"The inanimate objects." Harry replied slowly.

"Now tell me, class, exactly how many of you were pointing the wand at the rocks when you spoke the spell?"

Everyone looked at each other nervously in confusion. Who would be that stupid?

Everyone except Ron, whose face was slowly getting redder and redder.

"Weasley." Snape sighed. "I should have known."

"Ron?" Hermione asked, hoping what Snape was insinuating wasn't true.

"I didn't mean to!" Ron burst out. "I just heard something behind me, so I turned around to see."

"And kept saying the spell as you did it?" Malfoy roared. "Are you crazy? This spell isn't supposed to be done on humans!"

"Dumbledore will be able to fix it." Ron replied confidently. "Besides, it was just a mistake."

Malfoy swore under his breath, and for once, Hermione was inclined to agree with him.

"Weasley, since you created this mess, you can go and call Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore." Snape ordered. "The rest of you, get out. You're dismissed."

"What about us?" Malfoy asked.

"You two need to stay." Snape answered. "Now, get out!"

The class filed out quickly, and silence fell in the room. Ten or so minutes later, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore enter the room.

"What's going on in here?" McGonagall demanded. "Ronald Weasley came flying through my door crying about Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy getting stuck together."

"We're not stuck together, exactly." Hermione mumbled sheepishly. "We just can't move further than ten feet apart."

Snape quickly explained the situation, and Dumbledore turned to them calmly. "Can I have a bit of a demonstration?"

Hermione began moving to the door. As she moved, she started to take note of any observations as well. Once she moved further away than five feet, a strong sensation of being pulled appeared in her gut. She winced – it was uncomfortable, although not yet painful. Each step became harder and harder, as though she was swimming through molasses. Finally, at the door, ten feet away from Draco Malfoy, the pulling turned into a sharp snap. Her body paused for a second, and she gasped, before she flew backward.

This time, Malfoy was ready, and as she came, he caught her so they both managed to remain upright.

"That's very interesting." Dumbledore mused. "Mr. Malfoy, would you mind heading toward the door this time?"

Malfoy nodded tersely and moved toward the door. He had no trouble, unlike Hermione. She was fighting the feeling to follow him, if only to ease the tension in her gut. As soon as he reached the ten feet mark, Hermione was crashing into him.

"How very strange…no matter who is moving away, Miss Granger is always the one who goes flying. This reaction never happens in inanimate objects, even if the spell is cast incorrectly. It seems as though Mr. Malfoy is the dominant force." Dumbledore muttered. He turned to the other teachers. "When Professor Flitwick returns, we need to have a staff meeting."

"Until then, we need to sort out what to do with Hermione and Draco." Professor McGonagall reminded the Headmaster.

"Oh yes, of course." Dumbledore turned to them. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for now. I expect the two of you to treat this unexpected dilemma with the utmost maturity and responsibility, although I'm positive that I have nothing to worry about from either of you. Never fear, we shall figure out a way to separate you two. Until then, we shall have to make do with what you have."

"The two of you already share most classes." McGonagall remembered. "So that's not much of an issue. By tonight, I'm sure I can have a room ready that will be able to suit all your needs. If you come to my office before curfew, I can take you there. Unfortunately, for now, you'll have to choose where you want to stay. We will leave it up to you two, but you need to decide where you to eat. Of course, I don't need to tell you that rules are rules, no matter what the situation. I don't want to see either of you engaging in activities that are unacceptable for school."

"Of course not, Professor!" Hermione gasped, sounding aghast at the thought. "I will do my best to remain patient throughout this. Thank you very much for all your help."

"What help?" Malfoy muttered under his breath.

Dumbledore nodded. "Go down to dinner now, and figure out your new arrangements."

Together, Hermione and Malfoy stepped out of the room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Malfoy turned to Hermione.

"All right, we're going to have to set some rules." Hermione began.

"I'll begin. We're going to sit at the Slytherin table for meals, understand?"

"Absolutely not!" Hermione snapped. "I deserve some say in what I'm going to be doing too, you know. Why don't we switch off? If we eat at your table, we eat at mine for breakfast?"

"No." Malfoy said flatly.

"What in the world makes you think that I'll do what you say?" Hermione snarled.

"I'm the _dominant_ force, Granger." Malfoy gloated. "That means that I'm _stronger_ than you are, and I can pull you along."

"That won't stop me from hexing you." Hermione warned.

Malfoy scoffed. "Go right ahead – just remember, it's not just me you're confining to the infirmary for the night. You'd be stuck there too."

Hermione glared at him, realizing he was right. "I'll tell Professor McGonagall!"

"_I will do my best to remain patient throughout this_." Malfoy mocked. "Real patient, complaining ten minutes after leaving the classroom. Besides, how are you going to get to her?"

Hermione growled at him. "I don't care, Malfoy, I refuse to be bullied into submission! I will find a way to make sure I'm not stuck with your stupid Slytherins!"

"You'll still be around Potty and Weasel if it bothers you that much." Malfoy pointed out. "You have classes with them, don't you?"

"That's not the point." Hermione whined.

"Then?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to be around Slytherins all day. You'll all hex me, and tease me, and drive me up the wall!" Hermione complained. "Besides, being in hostile area for so long is exhausting."

"They won't say anything to you if you're with me." Malfoy promised. "Now can we go? I'm starving."

"I don't want to eat at that table." Hermione whined some more. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, but she also never underestimated her power of annoying Malfoy. "It's embarrassing. The whole hall will be looking at us."

"The whole world probably knows what happened in Charms by know." Malfoy snapped. "Fine. Just walk part of the way so I don't have to drag you."

"We'll sit at the Gryffindor table?' Hermione asked in shock.

Malfoy didn't answer, moving forward purposefully. Hermione had to scramble to keep up with him, but her mood brightened considerably. She was a little surprised that he had given up so easily, but she didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Malfoy walked through the doors of the Great Hall, and strode toward the Slytherin table. Hermione frowned, halting. The Gryffindors who had all been in her class frowned, waiting for her to waltz over to them. They had all assumed that Dumbledore had been able to fix the problem.

"Malfoy." Hermione hissed. "You said we could sit the Gryffindor table!"

Malfoy smirked at her. "I said no such thing"

Before Hermione could open her mouth to yell at him, or explain everything to her House mates, the spell kicked in.

Hermione shrieked slightly and hurtled forward. Malfoy caught her just before she slammed into him and used the momentum to seat her on the Slytherin table bench, next to Blaise Zabini, who merely raised an eyebrow.

The entire hall fell silent, waiting to see what Hermione Granger's reaction would be.

She opened her mouth, furious.

"Students!" McGonagall barked. Everyone's attention snapped to their teacher. Dumbledore thanked her and took the stand.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, there was an incident in the Charms class this morning. Two students, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, were unfortunately affected by this incident, as they cannot move further than ten feet away from each other. We are working hard to come up with a solution to this problem, but until a counter-spell can be created or discovered, we all must adjust to the situation. I ask that you all please refrain from ostracizing these students, and try to understand if any special circumstances pop up that require assistance. Please, be helpful, kind, and considerate Hogwarts students."

Everyone politely clapped, and Hermione glared out at the hall. She gave her friends a hopeless look and slumped down. She was sitting so she was facing the hall, and she didn't turn around.

Malfoy slid into the seat next to her.

"You can make me sit here, but you can't make me eat." Hermione hissed at him.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

**I would like to start doing something that I've noticed other authors (I was about to mistype and write "aurors") doing. What they do is take requests from people who want to see a certain story, and then, including what the person has asked for, they write out that story or one-shot. I would love to do that! For the categories that I like to write, more information, and etc. just PM me or check out my profile. Thank you!**

As soon as Dumbledore sat down, Ron Weasley stood up and stormed over to the Slytherin table. Whispers filled the hall, and everyone waited to see what he would do.

"Malfoy, what do you think you're doing?" He roared.

Malfoy turned around slightly. He sneered. "What does it look like, Weasel? I'm eating dinner."

"What have you done to Hermione?" Ron snapped. "I know you did something!"

"This may be hard for you to hear, Weasel, but you were actually the one who did this to us. Believe it or not, I didn't actually _want_ to get stuck to your precious Granger." Malfoy answered coolly.

Ron's ears turned red. "Why are you sitting at the Slytherin table?"

"Because I'm a Slytherin?"

"WHY ARE YOU FORCING MIONE TO SIT AT THE SLYTHERIN TABLE?!"

"Because I'm a Slytherin?"

Hermione stood up. "Ron, please sit down. I'll explain what happened later, okay?"

Ron glared at Malfoy. "There better be a very good explanation."

"Ron, stop. You're making a scene." Hermione hissed. "Go sit down. I'll owl you later, okay?"

Ron growled slightly before turning around and stomping back to Gryffindor table. Hermione let out a relieved sigh and sat back down. Gryffindor table all shot her sympathetic looks, and she gave them a small smile. She sat with her back to the table, like before, calmly ignoring the Slytherins behind her.

" Aren't you going to eat anything, Granger?" The Slytherin next to her, Blaise Zabini, asked.

"No." She snapped.

Blaise shut up, shooting Draco a questioning look.

"Aw, poor Draco; stuck with that know-it-all." Pansy trilled.

All around, the Slytherins laughed and gave Draco their condolences.

Hermione was practically shaking with anger, but she held her head high. She focused on the Gryffindor table, where her friends were talking to each other. They all had somber expressions on their faces, and eventually, someone would look over at her and give her a pitying glance.

Dinner seemed to drag on for forever. At last, some of the first years were getting up, yawning, ready for bed.

Hermione watched as her friends began to check their watches, and then gave her apologetic looks. They all stood up and slowly moved toward the door, before disappearing toward the Gryffindor Tower.

Even most of the Slytherins headed out. Only Malfoy and Zabini sat, talking, until at long last:

"Come on, Granger, time for bed." Malfoy stood up.

Hermione made a face at him, and then stood up.

"Real mature." He commented.

Hermione rolled her eyes and started walking out the Great Hall.

Malfoy followed after a moment – probably after debating how much fun it would be to yank her back with no audience. Hermione's face turned red at the memory of flying toward him in front of the entire Great Hall.

They walked down to McGonagall's office relatively quickly, with no major arguments. Hermione knocked, and they entered.

Professor McGonagall gave them a tired smile. "All right, let's go. Follow me, please."

They followed McGonagall through the school to a portrait of a couple that was near the entrance to the dungeons. Malfoy smirked, pleased at the location. Hermione huffed under her breath.

"The password is Lemon Drops, but of course, you can change it to whatever you two wish later. Just tell the portrait." McGonagall began as the portrait swung open.

McGonagall led them into a small, cozy common room. There was a fireplace, and two couches that were across from each other. A small coffee table sat in between the couches, which were a beige color. Bookshelves lined the walls, and there were a few games, like wizarding chess, that were lying on the coffee table. The entire room had a color scheme of beige and white. Originally, the two colors didn't seem as though they would go well together, but they were very well matched, woven together in a beautiful, intricate style.

Malfoy nodded his approval, and Hermione gasped in appreciation. "It's gorgeous, Professor!"

McGonagall nodded lightly. "This door leads into the bedroom. There's another door through the bedroom that leads into the bathroom. We put the beds there, so if anyone is in the bathroom, the other can remain on their bed until the bathroom is free."

Hermione peeked into the room. Just as her teacher had said, two single beds (beige, of course) were approximately ten feet apart. They were against the wall that also contained the door to the bathroom. The rest of the room was fairly small, probably enough so they both could walk around freely. At the foot of both of their beds were their trunks.

"I had yours trunks brought down." McGonagall explained. "You can choose whichever bed you want, and move the trunks around if you wish."

"I like my bed." Hermione answered. She opened the door into the bathroom and peered inside.

It was plain enough, and very small. She recognized several hair supplies and toiletries by the sink, and guessed that McGonagall had also taken the liberties of unpacking some of their things.

"Well, is there anything else you need?" The professor asked.

"No, Professor." Hermione answered for both of them. "Thank you so much – for everything."

"Hopefully this will only be temporary." Malfoy grumbled.

McGonagall gave them both an encouraging smile and left.

Hermione immediately got to work, pulling out her pajamas.

"I'll go into the bathroom first." She announced.

Malfoy was in the process of rummaging around his trunk. "Whatever."

She entered the bathroom and pulled on her pajamas, long blue pants and a large, oversized white T-shirt. She found her hairbrush in one of the drawers underneath the sink and yanked it through her hair before tying it up and stepping out.

Malfoy was waiting for her outside the door. He was wearing green pajama bottoms, and, well, nothing else. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and Hermione could clearly see everything that she'd never wanted to. She blushed and moved away.

"Shy, are we, Granger?" Malfoy smirked.

"I'd rather be shy than an egotistical prat who goes around flaunting his body." Hermione snapped. She dropped her clothes into her trunk and crawled into her bed, being sure to face the opposite direction of Malfoy the entire time.

He snickered a little and paused, before entering the bathroom. Hermione could hear him moving around in there, and she silently cursed his brains out.

After a few minutes, he exited and climbed into his bed.

The lights blinked out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, thank you all for the fantastic reviews, follows, and favorites! I love them all! I'm so glad that this story is getting so much positive feedback.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**This chapter is dedicated to AuriDaughterofHermes, because she gave me the marvelous idea! I can't thank you enough, Auri, Daughter of Hermes. I was having such a difficult time trying how to figure how to keep Hermione in character. **

Draco Malfoy woke up to the shock of his life.

Hermione Granger was standing next to his bed, wand pointed at his throat, smiling pleasantly at him.

"Good morning, Malfoy." She said, still beaming brightly.

"Get away from me!" Malfoy snapped.

"Oh, I wouldn't move if I were you. I have some rules, and I am intending on setting them." Hermione hummed.

"Merlin, you're crazy, woman!" Malfoy barked. "Malfoys listen to no one!"

"Yes, but this certain Malfoy has a wand at his throat." Hermione reminded him cheerily.

"Well, what do you want?" Malfoy demanded.

"I want to sit at the Gryffindor table today. For every meal." Hermione told him. "Also, I want to be early for every class, and I want to spend part of our free period in the library. And I want to hear nothing but kindness directed at me. No insults, no name-calling, no 'mudblood.' Okay? Oh…and if you could be kind to my friends – that would be excellent."

"Fine. Except for the last one. You honestly can't believe that I can be nice to Potty and Weasel." Malfoy ground out.

Hermione bit her lip, thinking. "Okay, fine. But you have to be cordial. And use their actual last names!"

"Whatever!" Malfoy grumbled.

"Do I have your word?" Hermione asked.

"Very well." Malfoy said finally. "Now can you get off me?"

"Technically, I'm not actually _on_ you." Hermione corrected sunnily. Nonetheless, she backed away, humming happily.

Malfoy rolled over and reached for his wand – only to find that it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" Hermione held it up. "You didn't honestly think that I wouldn't disarm you before threatening you, right?"

"Hand it over, Granger."

"I will, but only after we reach class. I want to make sure you uphold your end of the bargain, and don't hex me before we get out of the common room."

"I gave my word, didn't I?" Malfoy growled. He grabbed some clothes out of his trunk and stormed into the bathroom.

Hermione rolled back on her bed and sighed slightly. She was already dressed and ready. She had done it all quickly, careful not to wake the sleeping Malfoy, lest her entire plan go to waste. The scariest part was that Malfoy slept with his wand under his pillow. It had taken a lot of wiggling and silence to manage to steal it.

Malfoy came out of the bathroom almost a half hour later.

"My goodness, what were you doing in there?" Hermione asked innocently. "Did you fall in the toilet? You took a long time."

Malfoy snatched up her book bag and glared at her. "Let's go."

"Where are we going? The Great Hall?" Hermione inquired, this time genuinely curious.

"Of course. You didn't think I'd try to go the entire day without food just because you wanted to sit at the Gryffindor table, did you?" Malfoy smirked.

"I – well, why are you carrying my bag?" Hermione questioned determinedly.

"Why not?" Malfoy countered.

"Because you never carry my bag. You don't even like me. Why are you doing such a gentlemanly thing? Are you cursing it?" Hermione eyed the bag suspiciously.

"You're holding my wand, Granger." Malfoy sighed. "I can't believe you're the _brightest_ witch of our age."

Hermione shrugged. "Well, everyone's going to watch you carry my book bag into the Great Hall."

"Let them watch." Malfoy snorted. "It'll give them something to talk about."

"Ah, yes, the rumors. Who doesn't love Hogwarts and the rumors its students spread?" Hermione laughed lightly at Malfoy's distasteful expression.

He didn't answer her, instead opting to charge out of the bedroom at breakneck speed. Hermione had to run after him to keep their charm from kicking in.

_Great, it looks like I'm chasing him, _Hermione thought to herself in irritation.

"Malfoy! Slow down!" She called after him.

He took great pleasure in pretending that he couldn't hear her.

Finally, they got to the Great Hall. It was around eight thirty, so there were more than a few students milling about, since classes started at nine. Malfoy had to slow down grudgingly, so that Hermione could take the lead. Otherwise, it would look like he was willing to sit at the Gryffindor Table.

Despite what Hermione had thought, Malfoy neither cursed nor actually did anything to the book bag. He was carrying it, quite simply, because he didn't want to bring his own books to class. Since they shared all their classes, and had to sit together, why not just carry one set of books? Of course, Hermione didn't need to know that he was literally holding her book bag hostage, so she would be forced to let him share.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ron Weasley growled as they approached the table.

"Ron." Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Last night, we sat at the Slytherin table for dinner. That means that today, we're sitting at the Gryffindor table."

"Don't forget that we're stuck together. We can't go further than ten feet apart. Where do you want us to eat? The floor?" Malfoy muttered.

Hermione jabbed her elbow into his side, just as her friends scooted to let them in. She slid in next to Ginny Weasley, and Malfoy got stuck next to some idiot named Dean Thomas.

"So, Malfoy." Dean said cautiously, once he was sure that Hermione was deep in conversation, and wasn't about to overhear. "How is life with Hermione?"

"'Life with Hermione'? You make it sound like I'm married to her." Malfoy sneered. "And, Merlin, that is something I do _not_ want to do."

Dean glared at him. "I was just making friendly conversation!"

"Let's get this straight. We are not friends. There will never be friendly conversation between us." Malfoy snapped.

"All right, all right. Geez, you're a grumpy one." Dean grumbled, turning away to Seamus.

"You said you would be friendly." Hermione hissed next to him.

"Cordial. I was merely letting Thomas know exactly where we stand. That is cordial." Malfoy replied. He buttered a piece of toast in a well-mannered fashion.

Ron glared at him. He opened his mouth, forgetting to swallow, and giving everyone a great view of the chewed up food inside his mouth. "You sure don't sound cordial to me."

"Do you even know what cordial means?" Malfoy mocked.

Ron's face turned bright red.

"Malfoy!" Harry Potter snapped. "Can't you just eat without causing any drama?"

"I think you'll find it's not me who is causing the problems." Malfoy responded. "Besides, can't you live without creating any drama?"

Hermione scowled, and with a muttered swear under her breath, she stood up. "Come on, Malfoy, let's head to class. I want to be early."


	4. Chapter 4

Their first class together was a complete bust. Hermione ended up trying to hex Malfoy, who in turn threatened to rip up the pages of her favorite book that was in her book bag.

By the time Potions rolled around, (with both Slytherins and Gryffindors) they'd been sent out of every class, had lost fifty house points each, and were both cranky, tired, and in horrible moods.

"Hermione!" Harry called, grinning as she entered the room. "We haven't seen you all day. Where did you go for lunch?"

"We were in the library. I wasn't really hungry." Hermione answered, giving him a hug. "And I missed you all too!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes at the display. They hadn't seen each other since breakfast, so what? The Gryffindors had no sense of personal space.

"Draco!" Blaise and Theo Nott called at the same time. They grinned at each other, before turning back to him.

"How was Ancient Runes with the Ravenclaws and the Bookworm?" Theo continued.

Malfoy shook his head slightly. "I don't even want to talk about it. I think I'm going to throw up."

"Ouch. That bad, huh?" Blaise commented.

At that moment, Granger was at his shoulder. "Malfoy, can we sit here. It's near two empty tables, so we can both sit by our friends."

"Whatever." He grumbled, dropping her bag with a thud on the table she'd chosen.

"Why were you carrying her bag?" Blaise asked curiously.

Malfoy explained his reasoning with a sigh. "Because I didn't want to carry two sets of books to each class. Since we're both going, and we both have to bring books, I figured I would hold her book bag hostage and force her to let me share."

"Doesn't that technically defeat the purpose of it though, since you're still the one carrying the books?" Theo asked. "I mean, if she was carrying them, I'd get it, but you are, so..."

Malfoy paused. "Shut it."

The class quieted down as Professor Snape entered the room and began the lesson.

Since they were sitting together, Hermione and Draco were required to work together.

"Listen, Malfoy, I really don't want to get thrown out of another class. Can we just call a truce for this one period and work together?" Hermione pleaded as soon as Snape stopped talking. "I'm tired of getting yelled at."

"Fine." Malfoy said crisply. "But you can't be a bossy know-it-all. If we work together, you take my words into account, too. I'm not Longbottom. I'm not going to run around just because you said to."

"Sure, whatever." Hermione agreed, brightening up slightly. "Let's see, the textbook says that we have to gather all the ingredients, mash them up, mix them, and then heat them."

"Split the list in half, we can each gather half the ingredients." Malfoy ordered.

Hermione nodded. "That's what I was going to say."

Together, they walked to the supply cabinet and snatched up the ingredients that the potion called for.

There was absolute silence as the mashed, mixed, and heated. By the end of class, theirs was the only potion that was the exact shade of blue that it was supposed to be.

Snape walked around, checking everyone's work.

"Potter and Weasley, what exactly is this? Does this potion look in any way, shape, or form, blue to you?" He snapped.

"No, sir." Harry mumbled. "It's lilac."

"Longbottom, Thomas, this potion is too thick. Did you mix some cake batter along with the proper ingredients?"

"No, sir." Thomas muttered.

"Zabini, Nott, your potion is satisfactory. Next time, don't stir it so much."

The entire class seemed to hold its breath as Snape approached Draco and Hermione's potion.

"The potion is the correct color." Snape announced. "Ten points to Slytherin."

Hermione opened her mouth, but Draco jabbed her in the side with his elbow.

Snape watched this display with a bored expression, before heaving a sigh.

"And five points to Gryffindor." He added with clear reluctance.

The entire class seemed to gasp as Snape swept back to the front of the room. "You're dismissed! Don't forget about your essays, due next week."

Everyone moved outside, and whispers sprung up all around.

"Did you hear that? Snape never gives out points to Gryffindors!"

"Especially Hermione Granger. Do you think he's sick?"

"I think the world's ending. Again. Maybe there's another prophecy."

"Oh man, I don't think the world could stand another apocalypse."

"What's an apockeylapse?"

"Muggle reference, I'll tell you later."

Hermione and Draco moved away silently, ignoring all the rumors flinging by at rapid, breakneck speed.

"We, um..." Hermione cleared her throat sheepishly as they turned into a less crowded corridor. "We make a good team. Thank you. You know, for not making me mad and getting us into trouble."

"Excuse me?" Draco turned toward her. "I wasn't the one who got us into trouble. If memory serves, you were the one who started the screaming match, and went to go hex me!"

"You were instigating me! You kept hiding your pencil and saying that my hair ate it!"

"Well, your hair is huge! You should do something about it!"

"At least my hair is natural!"

"Are you insinuating that mine isn't, because I can guarantee you, my hair is completely natural."

"Well, you were the one who threatened to rip pages out of my favorite book!"

"Only because you said you would turn me into a ferret."

"I only said that because you said I looked like a beaver."

"I only said that because you were chewing on your quill. Who even chews on a quill? How can you even do that?"

"It's a bad habit I picked up from chewing pencils. Besides, that doesn't give you the right to call me a –" Hermione suddenly paused and gave Draco a look. "We're being ridiculous, aren't we?"

"I don't know about myself, but you certainly are ludicrous." Malfoy replied arrogantly.

"Malfoy." Hermione began.

"Granger, it's our free period right now. Why don't we go to the library like you wanted, and forget that the other exists? I could use a little Granger-free time." Draco interrupted.

Hermione sighed. "Fine. Okay. Let's do that."

They turned in the direction of the library, both determined not to speak another word to the other.


	5. Chapter 5

Malfoy couldn't get Granger's proposal out of his head. She was right about one thing: it was definitely exhausting to be in such hostile area for so long. If he constantly had to be alert around her, eventually he was going to fall over, and that was only good for the Gryffindors.

He kept his face down, but watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was bent over a book, scratching on a piece of parchment furiously. Her eyes frantically whipped back and forth as she took in the new information. A piece of her puffy rat-like hair fell in front of her face, and she viciously raked it back, leaving no thought whatsoever on whether it looked nice or not.

It was disgusting.

He put his head down on the table and mentally groaned. How was he going to stand living with her for Not-Even-Dumbledore-Knows how long?

"Malfoy, what are you doing?" Granger's grumbling voice penetrated the beautiful silence.

"I'm resting, Granger. Don't you know what that is?" Malfoy snapped.

"Whatever." Granger muttered, turning away from him.

The rest of the free period and the school day finished in uneasy silence.

While everyone headed down the Great Hall for dinner, Hermione and Malfoy went back to their room. Neither was feeling very hungry, although they hadn't told the other that. They hadn't breathed a word to each other since the library.

"I'm going to get changed." Hermione abruptly broke the silence. She moved into the bathroom. Malfoy tossed her book bag onto her bed and collapsed onto his own.

He was exhausted. Glancing around to make sure Granger was still occupied in the bathroom; Malfoy snatched up his wand and climbed under his blankets, keeping the comforting stick close to him. He didn't want a repeat of the morning's adventures.

His eyes closed of his own accord. He didn't care that he was still wearing his robe and the expensive clothes underneath were probably getting wrinkled up. He was just _so_ tired.

Before he knew it, he was lost in a dream.

It was one of those dreams where he knew it was a dream, but at the same time, couldn't really control anything.

He was in his manor, down in the main living room. This particular living room always held bad memories for him. It was in this room that his father liked to inflict any punishments, that his parents fought, that the Dark Lord presided in, that Potter and his friends had been taken captive in, that Granger had been tortured in, and in the end, this room that his father had died in.

This room didn't hold very many good memories.

He saw his father and mother, standing face-to-face. His mother looked livid, his father smug. Draco hated that smug look.

"Lucius, don't you understand? The war is over! The Potter boy won! The Dark Lord is gone!"

"Constantine will reawaken us all." Lucius hissed. His glare had gotten darker and darker with each exclamation from his wife. "Soon, you'll be the one begging me to save you. You'll never dare disobey me again."

"You're crazy!" Narcissa snapped. "The last I heard of Constantine, she was living safely in Canada. She's far away from the insanity of the war and from the touch of her mother. She can't hurt anyone. She _won't_ hurt anyone."

"It sounds like you are trying to convince yourself more than me, Cissy." Lucius cooed.

"Shut up!" Narcissa screeched. "You're dead!"

Suddenly, the wind picked up. The bright sunlight disappeared inside a blackened, cold storm. Hail rained down from the skies, and the wind began tearing the mansion apart, nail by nail. Screaming, wailing winds drowned out anything else his mother or father could say.

Then, suddenly, the wind picked Draco up. He had nothing to anchor himself on, and the vicious storm snatched up his soul like a single leaf, fluttering around in an October breeze.

He was thrown from side to side, unable to stop himself. He was grateful that it was just a dream, or else he would surely be vomiting.

"I want to wake up now!" He shouted, hoping that his voice would startle himself into consciousness.

Nothing changed, except that his words were ripped from his lungs and thrown far behind him.

Cold, chilly rain began pouring down upon him, almost like his mind was trying to drown him. Draco could suddenly hear his father's evil, despicable laugh.

"There's no one to save you now, is there? Draco, Draco, Draco. Even when I'm not around, I'm always protecting you. What have those blood traitors ever done for you?"

The storm gradually dissipated, and Draco was left on the wet ground, heaving silently.

"Don't despair, my son." Lucius's cold voice slithered around him. "You may not remember who she is, but Constantine certainly remembers you. She'll bring us back to power, right under Potter's nose. I will return, Draco, and you can be certain of this: I will come back for you."

Draco shot up. He was shivering, soaked in sweat. He looked around wildly, but he couldn't find anything that looked like his room at home, or in the Slytherin dungeons. After a few, heart-wrenching moments, he remembered where he was.

He stood up and crept into the bathroom. After splashing his face in cold water, and changing into his proper pajamas, he felt much better. The shivers hadn't receded, but he felt much less exposed.

He slid back into his bed. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep for a while. His eyes slid over Granger's bed, and he could vaguely make out the outline of her body. She rolled over, and he felt his heart leap into his throat.

He turned over, sleeping on his back. He stuck his hands behind his head, and took a few deep breaths. He focused on his breathing, and let Granger's gentle snores lull him into a sense of security.

If she could sleep, then so could he.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, everyone! Thanks for being so patient with this story! It's definitely coming along, although a little slower than I wish it would. Honestly, I just finished writing my own book, and so my creative juices are just starting to flow again.**

**On another note, have any of you gotten your books published? If you have, how did you do it? I would love to know! It's my dream to get my book published.**

**Finally, the disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. **

"Granger." Malfoy grumbled. She turned to look at him, and he sighed. Grudgingly, he began, "I've come to the decision that it would best serve my interests to be cordial with you. I propose that we call a truce, until we can find the cure for our situation."

"I proposed that yesterday!" Hermione complained. "It was my idea!"

"Are you going to agree to the truce or not?" Malfoy snapped.

"Not if you're going to be so rude about it." Hermione grumbled. When he stuck out his hand, though, she shook it firmly.

"If we're going to be cordial to each other, we should call each other by our first names." Hermione suggested.

"Nope." Malfoy strode forward toward the Great Hall, heading toward the Slytherin tables. He could hear Hermione stumbling behind him. Reluctantly, he slowed down enough to let her catch up. He didn't feel like having her crash into him.

He slid into the seat next to Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, right by the edge. Hermione across from him, a few people down. It was just enough to make her uncomfortable, but not so much that if he leaned over, she would go flying.

She was sitting in between Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass. Neither looked particularly happy about her invasion.

"Sorry." She mumbled, buttering a piece of toast.

"Can't you sit anywhere else?" Pansy snapped. "Like, under the table, for example?"

"Why don't you move?" Hermione asked coolly. "After all, it wouldn't be that difficult, and it wouldn't inconvenience anyone."

Pansy rolled her eyes, but stood up to go sit on the other side of Daphne. Hermione was surprised, but forced herself not to show it. Slytherins were like sharks. If you showed too much emotion, they would get into a feeding frenzy.

"Pansy, I just don't know what to do!" Daphne burst out. Hurriedly, she peered down the table at the boys to see if they were listening, but they didn't seem to be paying any attention. She slumped almost imperceptibly in relief.

"Just calm down, Daphne. It's just a rumor." Pansy promised.

"But what if it isn't?" Daphne whispered.

She glanced down at Theodore Nott, and Hermione hid a smile. For a Slytherin, she wasn't terribly inconspicuous.

"Are you talking about Theodore Nott?" She asked, unable to help herself.

Pansy glared at her, but Daphne bit her lip. "Was I that obvious?"

"Daphne…" Pansy warned.

"Not really, I just couldn't help overhearing, and I jumped to the conclusion. You know, I don't want to seem like a busybody, but maybe I can help with your problem." Hermione said kindly. She wasn't sure why she was offering, but she'd seen her own Gryffindor friends in the throes of romantic woes. She felt a spark of sympathy for Daphne.

Daphne glanced at Pansy before taking a deep breath. "Maybe you'll bring a fresh perspective. Teddy…well, there are rumors that he…that he has a crush on someone. I…well, I would like to find out who."

"Why don't you ask him?" Hermione asked. At Daphne's horrified look, she quickly amended her statement. "I don't mean out of the blue! Find him when he's alone, and bring it up in conversation. If it's you, he'll be more likely to tell you without anyone else around. If it's not, at least you'll know, rather than wondering forever."

Pansy sighed loudly. "That's such a Gryffindor thing to say."

Hermione shrugged. "I'm sorry if it doesn't help. It seems to work for Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati."

Daphne was looking at Theodore contemplatively. "It sounds like a direct approach. Slytherins usually use the back way...but maybe this time, the direct approach is a good idea."

"Daphne!" Pansy gasped. "You can't honestly think it would work."

"I don't." Daphne admitted. "I'm just done with being hung up on him!"

At that exact moment, Theodore Nott stood up and headed toward the doors. Daphne stood up, brushing her hair to the side.

"I'll be right back." She announced. "And if I'm not, I'm in my dormitory and will be there for the rest of the day. Pansy, if I don't return you'll bring my book bag, won't you?"

"Yes." Pansy sighed, reaching for a scone. "Good luck to you."

"Good luck." Hermione echoed.

They watched the pretty teenager walk towards the door purposefully, and Hermione bit her lip. Despite not even knowing Daphne Greengrass, she really, truly hoped that Theodore Nott would be interested.

"Why are you helping us?" Pansy sniffed, glaring at Hermione.

Hermione shrugged. "It seemed like a nice thing to do."

"You must have a hidden agenda." Pansy insisted. "What is it? I'm a Slytherin. I know these things."

Hermione looked at Pansy sadly. "It must be awful to be Slytherin if you can't trust a random act of kindness."

Suddenly, she felt a pull in her stomach. Draco Malfoy had stood up.

"Come on, Granger." He called. "We have to get to class."

Hermione gave Pansy another pitying glance before reaching for a piece of toast and standing up.

"Granger!" Malfoy snapped. "Let's get going."

"You're making me want to move less and less." Hermione called back.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, but he waited until she had managed to get off the bench and was walking toward him. With a loud, impatient sigh, he turned and stalked out the doors. He heard Hermione squeak as she was forced to hurry after him, or let the effects of the spell kick in.

"Malfoy!" She shouted. "Wait!"

"Malfoys wait for no one." He said smugly, walking faster.

By the time they reached class, Hermione was panting ever-so-slightly. She glared at Malfoy, who opened his mouth say something.

"Gra – mmmf!" He was immediately cut off as Hermione stuffed her toast into his mouth.

He spit it out, glaring at her. "Who puts cream cheese on their toast? What a vile poison!"

This time, it was Hermione's turn to smile smugly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year's, everyone! It might not be New Year's yet, but I'm giving you all this present early. Please give me some feedback, and PLEASE tell me what you think should happen next. I've got vague ideas, but I would love to hear any of your ideas for plot, characterization, etc. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

After the last class of the day, Hermione was fully prepared to head back to the room, pick up a very intriguing book on boggarts, and relax. Unfortunately, Malfoy had a rather nasty surprise in store for her.

"We have to go to the Quidditch pitch." He told her.

"What?" Hermione snapped. "Look, whether you're on the team or not, I refuse to get on a broom. You can't make. I don't care if you're the dominant force or whatever, I _will_ hex you and I won't consider the consequences of my acti –"

"Granger." Malfoy interrupted. "We're not going flying."

"Oh." Hermione paused.

"We're holding tryouts for a new Seeker. I _am_ team captain, however, so I do have to be there." Malfoy replied. "Don't worry; I wouldn't get on a broom with you if it meant that it would save my life."

"Good." Hermione cleared her throat. "Erm, aren't you worried that I'll blab all your strategies to Harry?"

Malfoy snorted. "Please, be my guest. I'd like to see you try, since I won't be further than twenty feet away from you the entire time. Besides, you're a Gryffindor; you have honor and all that."

Hermione shrugged. "Whatever. Can we at least stop at the common room on our way there so I can pick up something to do?"

"I've got to change into my Quidditch uniform anyway." Malfoy replied.

As they approached their room in silence, Hermione reveled in the absolute civility of the conversation they had just had. It made her feel proud to know that they could speak to each other politely, if they had to.

Of course, most of the time, they were completely silent, hardly ever addressing each other. What was that old Muggle saying? If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Hermione grabbed her book and sat on her neatly-made bed while Malfoy headed into the bathroom. It wasn't long before he was done and they were heading out to the Quidditch area.

"You brought _Granger_?" A young third-year said in shock, staring as Malfoy and Hermione made their way toward the team.

"It's not like I couldn't." Malfoy sneered. Hermione rolled her eyes and opened up her rather large book.

"Alright, team, let's get ready. I'll be up in the bleachers." Malfoy started. "Granger, go sit in the bleachers so I can see what they're doing."

Hermione wandered over to the bleachers, her head still buried in the book.

She lost herself in the words of _R.O. Everett_, the man who had written the book. It had plenty of interesting facts on boggarts, and how to effectively capture them, fight them, use them, etc. It even had a chapter on theories of what the average boggart looked like, before it turned into a fear.

"Granger."

Hermione looked up in annoyance, expecting to see Malfoy frowning down at her. Instead, the petite form of Daphne Greengrass smiled uncertainly at her. Hermione quickly shut her book and went to stand up.

"Oh, no, please, don't stand. May I sit?" Daphne asked nervously.

Hermione nodded. "Oh, of course."

"Listen, um, Hermione, I just wanted to say thank you. Your…your advice actually worked, and…well –" Daphne broke off as Malfoy's loud words reached them.

"NOTT! Focus on the Quaffle, you idiot, not your girlfriend!"

Daphne turned bright red, and Hermione grinned at her. "Congratulations!"

Daphne smiled. "I just had to say that I really appreciate it. Pansy – well, Pansy isn't certain that you helped me out of the goodness of your heart, so if there's anything you want, name your price now, please."

Hermione was shocked. "No, no, Daphne, there's nothing I want. I promise. I just want you and Nott to have a successful relationship."

Daphne nodded slowly. "I thought so. Everybody's always going on about how Gryffindors rarely do anything for their own benefit."

"No, we do, on occasion." Hermione grinned mischievously. "But most of the time, we don't even know what the benefit will be, so we just do nice things for the heck of it."

Daphne laughed lightly. "It seems to help you out when you need it."

"There's a Muggle saying for that, actually. I scratch your back, you scratch mine." Hermione replied thoughtfully.

"Oh, I've heard the saying "what comes around goes around." Daphne answered. "In Muggle Studies."

"I guess both sayings do fit." Hermione admitted. "Either way, we both know what I meant."

"Yes." Daphne agreed. "I understood. Anyway, I've got to get going. Teddy's eyeing me again and I'm sure he'll accidentally fall off the broom if he doesn't start paying attention."

Hermione chuckled and glanced at the pitch, where the boys were zooming around at dizzying speeds.

"HEATH, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE SNITCH!" Malfoy shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU, BLIND?

"Well, I'll see you later." Daphne offered a hand out. Hermione took it without hesitation.

"Absolutely." She said firmly.

Daphne moved away, and Hermione cracked open her book. She couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the Slytherin girl. She seemed incredibly sweet, a lot different than what Hermione had thought.

All it had taken was a simple olive branch, extended from Hermione, to reveal how lovely Daphne really was. Most Slytherins must not be that bad.

At that moment, Hermione decided that she would find the good in each Slytherin, and bring it out so that everyone else could see it, too. Hermione Granger could never resist when she felt like someone was in trouble or needed her help, and she felt absolutely certain that the Slytherins deserved her attention.

And thus, "Finding the Unknown Goodness of Slytherins" was born.

F.U.G.S.

Hermione focused back on her book, satisfied with her new project. Operation F.U.G.S. was soon to be underway.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, just to be clear, I'm doing something a little different now for my own peace of mind. If the chapter is in Draco's POV, I will call Hermione "Granger." If the chapter is in Hermione's POV, I will call Draco "Malfoy." That way there's really no confusion, and everyone is in character.**

**This is a Draco/Hermione shipping fanfic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Draco Malfoy was completely exhausted. He hadn't even been on his broom, but coaching had seriously spiked up his blood pressure and made him feel like he'd just run a marathon. While he was in the air with his teammates, he rarely saw all the little mistakes that they made. Today was a real eye-opener, however. They'd have to have more practices, at this rate, if they wanted to beat Hufflepuff at the next match.

Granger was very quiet. Draco had almost forgotten she was there, which was definitely a first. She was deep in thought over something, but there was no way he was going to ask her what. He just hoped it wasn't some way to sneak his strategies to Potter.

Draco had kept an eye on her all practice. He'd noticed when Daphne Greengrass had come up and spoken to her, which was _definitely_ out of the ordinary. They had been friendly to each other, (he'd heard some of the things they were saying) and he was a little concerned that the two might strike up a friendship. Of course, Daphne was one of the sweeter Slytherins. If Granger assumed that they were all as open and welcoming as Greengrass, she was going to run into a serious problem. And he was not going to help her out of it.

They reached their room quickly, and Draco moved over to his bed. Granger dropped her book on her bed and moved into the bathroom to change. Draco moved over and glanced at the enormous book that she had been reading.

"_All You Need to Know About Boggarts_." He muttered under his breath. "By _R.O. Everett_."

Draco rolled his eyes. It figured that she would pick something to read outside of class, and it would be about something they would probably learn later in the year. Most of the girls he knew liked Witch Weekly.

Granger stepped out of the bathroom, raising her eyebrow slightly when she saw him by her bed. "Placing curses under my pillow, are we, Malfoy?"

He sneered at her. "Oh, if only I could do you the favor and get you out of class."

She rolled her eyes. "Bathroom's free."

Draco took a quick shower before pulling on his pajamas and stepping back outside. The room was completely dark, and he glanced over at Granger's form, a little surprised to see her fast asleep already.

_She must have been really tired_, he thought smugly.

He slipped into his own bed and closed his eyes.

It wasn't long before he slipped into a dream. This one was much less horrendous than before. He was standing in a beautiful garden, surrounded by petunias and lilies, growing around each other.

Draco turned slightly, to see a young lady sitting on the ground. He squinted at her, trying to see who she was.

She had long, dark, curly brown hair that reached halfway down her back, in neat little ringlets. Her pale face was sharp and defined, almost with the grace of an aristocrat. She was clearly tall and thin. She looked like a model for a magazine that focused on the higher end of society.

She looked up, and he was caught by the blue of her eyes. He had been expecting something less striking, but the royal blue in her eyes was a color that he had never seen on a person's face. Her eyes pierced him, and he got the feeling that she knew he was there.

"Connie, dear." Someone called. Connie turned and smiled (she had dimples) at a plump, dark-skinned, older, woman who powerwalked over to her.

"Auntie Nat. What are you doing out here?" Connie questioned. Draco was startled to hear that she had a distinguished British accent.

"I came to see how you were doing, my dear." Auntie Nat explained. "I know it must be difficult, deciding what to do now. You're no longer a child."

Connie smiled. "Don't worry. I know what I'm going to do. I just have to put the plan in motion."

Auntie Nat smiled warmly at her. "That's my Constantine, always planning ahead."

Connie – Constantine – wrapped her arms around the older woman's waist. "You shouldn't worry about me, Auntie Nat. You have the other children to tend to. If you waste your energy on me, then you won't be able to care for them."

"I'm sure my heart is big enough for all of you." Auntie Nat laughed. "Still, you're right. I have to go inside and make lunch."

"I'll join you in a bit." Constantine promised. "I'm just relaxing right now."

"Of course, darling, take your time." Auntie Nat patted Constantine on the cheek before pushing herself off the ground and moving away.

Constantine stood up after Auntie Nat was out of sight, and moved over to Draco.

"Soon, cousin." She said, her piercing blue eyes staring straight into his. "Soon, we shall meet. I've heard so much about you. I cannot wait until we become acquainted."

With those words, she pushed at him, and he woke with a start.

Draco sat up in his bed, frustrated beyond belief. Why was he having such strange dreams? Divination certainly wasn't his best subject, so the dreams couldn't be real – right?

With a sigh, he stepped out of bed and reached for some parchment and a quill.

**Dear Mother,**

**Everything is well here in Hogwarts. I've been getting good marks, and Quidditch is going well. I'm sure you've heard, from either Headmaster Dumbledore or Professor Snape, but I've become inseparable from Hermione Granger. I'm doing my best to be patient and uphold the Malfoy name, I promise.**

**Anyway, recently, I've been having some ****questions. Do we have a Constantine in our family? If so, how is she related to me?**

**Thank you, Mother.**

**Regards,**

**Draco Malfoy**

Yawning, he tucked it into his bag. In the morning, he'd bully a first-year into posting it for him while Granger was distracted with breakfast.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Sitting at the Slytherin table wasn't so bad anymore, now that Daphne had warmed up to her. Pansy was still pretty reserved, but it was clear that she had been thinking about what Hermione had last told her.

"We're going to the first Hogsmeade weekend together." Daphne confessed, giggling a little.

Hermione gave her a wide smile. "Make sure one of you reserves a table at the Three Broomsticks. The first weekend is always ridiculously crowded with Third Years."

"Oh, you're right. I hadn't even thought of that." Daphne mused. "Oh! Pansy, we should make it a double date!"

Pansy nodded in agreement. "Sure. That would be fun."

"Oh, you're dating someone too?" Hermione asked politely.

Pansy gave her a searching look before nodding. "Yes. Blaise and I have been together for almost two years now. Actually, it's nearing the anniversary of our first date."

"That's so romantic!" Hermione grinned. "I don't know anyone who's been together that long."

"Not even Potter and Weasley?" Pansy asked.

"Well, Ginny and Harry have been going out for a few months." Hermione explained. "Certainly not as long as you."

Pansy giggled slightly, despite herself. "I think Blaise wants to take me out on our anniversary. It's a Saturday, so I'm sure Dumbledore won't mind."

"Do all your homework on Friday." Hermione advised.

Pansy nodded. "Oh, I know. No one ever gets anything done on Sunday."

As they continued talking, owls dropped in with mail. Hermione recognized Ron's owl, Errol, a split second after he came crashing through the table. He spilled pumpkin juice and all sorts of other breakfast foods all over her in his haste to get up.

"Errol!" She scolded, quickly using her wand to clean everything up. She pulled the letter off of the owl and then helped him up.

"Isn't that Weasel's owl?" Malfoy snickered.

Hermione rolled her eyes and opened up the note. She instantly recognized Ginny's neat handwriting.

**Hermione – **

** I know you've been busy (I've heard all about it from Harry and Ron) but I really miss you! We (we being Harry, Ron, Lavender, Parvati, and myself) were wondering if you wouldn't mind spending your free time with us? We're meeting out by the Great Lake after classes. I hope to see you there. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! **

**With love,**

**Ginny**

"Malfoy!" Hermione called. "We're spending the afternoon with my friends by the Great Lake."

"Absolutely not." Malfoy snapped back. "I have actual things to do, you know."

Hermione shrugged. "Well, I suppose I could always invite them back to our common room tonight. Oh! Ginny and I could have a sleepover! We haven't done that in so long…"

As she trailed off wistfully, she saw Malfoy visibly pale.

"I'll only go to your Gryffindor party if you do something for me." Malfoy said at last, his eyes glinting evilly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What? It better not be anything inappropriate, Malfoy, or I swear –"

She was cut off by the chiming of the bell. Her eyes widened and she shot out of her seat. "Oh no! We're going to be late for Transfiguration if we don't hurry!"

Malfoy was up only a second later. Even he didn't want to deal with the wrath of an angry Professor McGonagall.

Thankfully, they weren't late. Hermione put their earlier conversation out of her head and focused solely on her schoolwork.

Finally, it was time to meet her friends. She was almost giddy with excitement.

"You're going to owe me one, okay?" Malfoy grumbled, clearly not sharing her sentiments.

Hermione nodded absently. She hurried out the door.

"Hermione!" Ginny shrieked and gave her a huge hug. Hermione hugged her back, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"We've missed you so much!" Harry grinned.

"Yeah, it's just not the same anymore. You're not there to help us with our homework." Ron agreed.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. "I've missed you guys so much too. I know I see you during classes, but it's just not the same."

"So how have you been?" Harry asked. He glanced over inconspicuously at Malfoy, who was exactly ten feet away from them.

"I've been great." Hermione replied. "Guys, I have to tell you about this. Daphne Greengrass is nice!"

Quickly, she related her experience with Daphne and Pansy, and her determination to make F.U.G.S. flourish.

"Hermione, are you sure that's a good idea?" Parvati asked. "I mean, you remember how SPEW turned out."

"It was S.P.E.W!" Hermione corrected snappily. "And this one will turn out better, because you'll all join. Won't you?"

At her hopeful and angry gaze, the five Gryffindors both gulped and nodded. Ginny, Ron, Parvati, and Lavender were all secretly terrified of her, especially when she was angry. Harry could never resist her hopeful puppy dog eyes.

"Hermione, you are going to be the death of us all." Ginny grumbled.

After another few hours relaxing and having fun in each other's company, Hermione stood up. She could tell that Malfoy was getting more and more impatient to go back inside. "I've got to go, guys. Dinner's going to be soon. Now, don't forget about F.U.G.S!"

"We won't." Her friends replied. "Bye, Hermione!"

"You didn't take forever at all." Malfoy snapped sarcastically as she rejoined him. "That was hours!"

"You could have been working on your homework or something productive." Hermione shrugged. "That's not my problem."

Malfoy grumbled under his breath, but Hermione was too happy to take him seriously. She had honestly forgotten how much fun being with her friends could be.

Life was good.


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the day passed quickly, and then they were at dinnertime, and Draco was feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

A first-year was staring intensely at him. The kid was holding a piece of paper in his hand, and Draco wasn't exactly sure what was going on. After a full seven minutes and sixteen seconds, Draco leaned over the table toward him.

"What?"

The first-year looked shocked. He paused and then took a deep breath. "I found this owl and it had your name attached to the letter, and Dominque dared me to take the letter and deliver it to you personally and –"

Draco stuck his hand out for the letter. The first-year hurriedly relinquished it and then got up and raced away. Rolling his eyes, Draco tore it open.

**My Dear Draco,**

**I'm sorry to hear about your current predicament with Miss Hermione Granger. Of course, I am completely assured that you will honor the Malfoy name and treat the situation with patience and respect. I am very proud of you, Draco.**

**As a matter of fact, yes we do have a Constantine in our family. She is your cousin, but she was sent away to Canada just a few years after you were born. I must tell you, though; Constantine is a rather taboo topic. It would be best not to stir the pot. **

**As always, Draco, I send my love. I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks during Christmas. **

**Sincerely,**

**Mother**

Draco raised his eyebrow at his mother's subtle hint, telling him not to dig any deeper in the affairs of Constantine. Glancing around to make sure that no one had seen him; Draco stuffed the paper in his pocket. He was just about to rise and go to send another letter back to his mother when he remembered Granger.

He internally groaned. Now that his mother had warned him against asking about Constantine, he was more worried than ever. He wanted to send another letter, imploring her to answer his questions. He didn't feel safe leaving the letters in anyone else's hands, though. If Constantine was as taboo as his mother hinted, he didn't want anything leaking out.

"What's wrong, mate?" Blaise asked. "Did that first-year read through your letter?"

"Merlin, no. If he did, he wouldn't be sitting so comfortably now." Draco replied, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "No, not all. I'm just tired. That's all."

"That's too bad." Theo told him. "I guess that means you won't be coming to the common room with us."

"I wouldn't be coming regardless. Granger." Draco muttered.

Theo and Blaise both made twin noises of understanding.

Before the incident, Draco, Blaise, and Theo had always spent some time in the common room before retiring to bed. They did it at least twice a week, when the three of them didn't have too much homework or studying. They spent the time unloading to each other, de-stressing and just having fun in general. Draco had found that it did wonders for his blood pressure. His favorite activity was playing poker with some of the other boys.

"Malfoy?" Granger called. He glanced up, where she was sitting with Daphne and Pansy.

"What?" He grumbled.

"Can we go to the owlery before we go back to our room?" She asked. "I want to send a letter to Har – uh, I want to send a letter to my friend."

Draco rolled his eyes, but inside, he smiled. His problem was solved. "If you want to give Potter a message, you can yell it right across the Great Hall right now."

Granger huffed. "I'd rather not, thank you. Can we go?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Draco shrugged.

Granger smiled and then turned back to Pansy and Daphne. After a moment, she stood up.

Draco did the same. He bid goodbye to Blaise and Theo, and then followed Granger out of the Great Hall.

They walked to the owlery in silence, and Draco found his owl. He quickly scrawled out a letter to his mother.

**Mother – **

**Please forgive the quick writing. I do not have much time. It is imperative that I hear more about Constantine. Please, Mother, you shall have to trust me. If you can send me all that you know, I will appreciate it. **

– **Your Loving Son**

He attached it to his owl and waited while Granger fumbled around with her own. After several minutes, she managed to attach her note onto the owl and take it to the window. He followed quietly and released his owl.

"Malfoy Manor. Narcissa Malfoy. Hurry." He whispered quietly.

"Where are you sending your letter?" Granger asked him sweetly. He glanced at her, and the foreign tone of her voice. It seemed like for a moment, she forgot who he was.

"It doesn't matter." Draco said icily. "It's not your business."

Granger looked taken aback for a moment, but she quickly covered it up.

"Of course." She said sarcastically. "I was only asking because I want to know all of your secrets, not because I was trying to be nice."

"Granger, would you just not talk tonight?" Draco pleaded. "You are so irritating. Your voice is really scratchy and I already have a headache."

Granger rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to take a vow of silence just because you have a headache. If it's that much of a problem, we can go down to Madame Pomfrey and get a potion to heal you."

"Look, I let you play with your little Gryffindor friends _and_ I let you come to the owlery. I could have made things twenty times harder for you, but I didn't. I think I deserve some peace and quiet!" Draco snapped.

Granger opened her mouth as though to argue again, but then, surprisingly, she shook her head. She rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet. Draco breathed a sigh of relief.

They made their way down to their room and Draco grabbed the bathroom first. He threw on his pajamas and then stepped out.

To his surprise, Granger was already asleep, still in her school clothes. The lights were on and everything.

He paused, wondering if he should wake her up. Shrugging his shoulders, Draco turned out the light and climbed into the bed, ignoring the vaguely guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't even that late. How could Granger be tired enough to conk out before changing her clothes? They would get all wrinkled up tomorrow.

Oh well. Granger wasn't his problem.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Yeesh, it has been a while! School has honestly sucked the creativity out of me. I saw someone favorite this the other day and realized that I haven't written since, like, April. Sorry you guys! Here are a few chapters to make up for it.**

Almost a week had passed since Hermione and Malfoy were trapped together. Since then, they had fallen into a rather comfortable routine. Every morning, Hermione would wake up first and take over the bathroom. After she exited, Malfoy would pop in and then they would head down for breakfast. Usually, they dined with the Slytherins in the morning.

Then, after a morning of classes, they had lunch with the Gryffindors and stayed in the library, studying during their free periods. After all of their afternoon classes were over, they had dinner, usually with the Slytherins (although if Hermione put up a fuss, they might eat with the Gryffindors sometimes.)

In fact, their routine was so solidified that they barely spoke more than a dozen words to each other all day. Their conversations could mostly be summed up with, "Quidditch practice today," or "We're going to be late for class," or "I want to go to the library." They usually didn't have much need to say more.

Hermione assumed this Monday was going to be the exact same. She woke up early and used the bathroom, and then waited while Malfoy did the same. Then they went down to breakfast and she helped Daphne with her Ancient Runes essay. The two early classes were mostly taking notes, so she had no need to speak to Malfoy then.

It wasn't until Transfiguration that anything seemed out of the ordinary.

"Today, you will be working on transfiguring a piece of parchment into a quill." Professor McGonagall stated. "Watch very closely as I provide the example."

Hermione stared intensely as Professor McGonagall uttered the words and waved her wand in a precise manner. The parchment shrunk, until Professor McGonagall held up a quill for all to see.

"Do it yourselves now." Their professor ordered.

Hermione quickly mastered the spell, doing it a few times until a perfect quill was in place of her parchment. Next to her, Malfoy took a few more tries, but he finished it relatively early, too.

Hermione pulled out her Potions essay while she waited for the rest of the class to catch up. She ducked her head down, rereading a few paragraphs. She was so deeply absorbed in thought; she didn't hear the massive argument that was building behind her.

"I can't believe you would do that, Ambrosia!" A girl hissed to her "friend". "You – you're such a bi –"

"Language, Yasmin!" Ambrosia snapped. "And I didn't do anything! Your boyfriend hit on me! I tried to stop him, but you know he's attractive. What would you have done if you were in my position?"

"I certainly would not have snogged him senseless in the Herbology classroom!" Yasmin cried. "You should be able to control your hormones!"

"I'm young! How can I be responsible for what my body wants?" Ambrosia shrugged. "Besides, it's not that big of a deal. He apologized."

"You don't understand anything!" Yasmin snapped. She slammed her hands down on her desk. "I'll get you back. I swear, from today, we're not friends any longer! I can't deal with you!"

"Well, I can't deal with you! You're so overdramatic!" Ambrosia whined.

Apparently, that was the last straw for Yasmin. Whipping out her wand, she yelled out a spell.

Ambrosia reacted with the type of abandon and panic one would expect from a girl who'd lived through a war. She screamed back her own curse, and then ducked.

Unfortunately for everyone in that classroom, the curses didn't cancel each other. They bounced around together, bonding. Neville's hair was singed, Ron's eyebrows were nearly scorched off, and Dean's shirt got a new hole.

And then the curses, fully bonded, hit Hermione.

She didn't even notice the panic in the classroom until the pain hit her. She looked up, glanced around, and then passed out.

"Oh my!" Professor McGonagall shouted. "Girls, sit down! Settle down, class! Three hundred points from Slytherin. Unacceptable! Mr. Malfoy, do you think you can take Miss Granger to the infirmary. Ooh, you'd better take someone with you, just in case. Mr. Zabini, please help him. Go straight to the infirmary, boys. Class, settle down! I said settle down!"

**XXXXXX**

Draco gathered Hermione up in his arms and slipped out the door. He made eye contact with Theo, who nodded, indicating that he would bring up their book bags once class was let out.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Blaise asked, closing the door shut behind them. "Here, do you want me to levitate her?"

"Yeah, sure." Draco stepped back, letting Blaise cast the spell. "She'd better be alright. Blaise, what do I do if I'm stuck carrying a corpse with me for the rest of my life?"

"She's still breathing. That's a good sign." Blaise pointed out.

"What if they put her in a coma? Mate, I can't deal with a comatose Hermione Granger stuck to me all my life!" Draco ran a hand through his hair. "Someone is going to pay for this!"

"Calm down, Draco." Blaise put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine. And if she isn't, you can burn the body or something."

Draco glared at him. "And have the ashes follow me around? How am I ever going to get a date? Can you imagine going to bed with a woman and having to explain that the girl lying next to me isn't ever going to wake up?"

"That's a killer on the sex life." Blaise agreed. "Oh, sorry, I'm supposed to be comforting you and promising everything will be okay."

"You're rubbish at it." Draco grumbled. "Whatever. Just hurry."

They stumbled into the infirmary, where Madame Pomfrey let out a startled gasp and then quickly went to work.

Draco fell into a chair next to the bed that Hermione was in. For some reason, he knew that their magnetic attraction to each other hadn't been disabled. Even though he couldn't feel the tug in his gut that Granger claimed to feel, he had a feeling that they were still stuck together.


	12. Chapter 12

**As promised, the next chapter! I hope you all like it.**

"Draco, I'm going to head back to class." Blaise said. "I think Theo got your things."

"Yeah, tell him thanks. You too, thanks." Draco sighed.

"Do you want me to bring anything?" Blaise asked. "I can bring up your books or homework or something."

"No, it's okay." Draco waved him off. "Get back to class."

Blaise nodded and hurried away. In the meanwhile, Draco leaned back and began counting the lines on the ceiling.

A few minutes later, he heard the door open and caught sight of Headmaster Dumbledore stepping into Madame Pomfrey's office. After a low, heated discussion that he couldn't quite catch, they stepped back out.

"Mr. Malfoy." Madame Pomfrey began nervously. She took a deep breath. "This is a bit difficult to understand. As I understand it, there was a fight, and two girls tried to curse each other."

"Yes, ma'am." Draco replied. He sort of wished she would just blurt out what she was trying to say.

"Well, the curses seemed to have bonded into one, ultimate curse. This is incredibly rare, and has only happened once before. I was lucky enough to have been studying it recently, which is why I recognized the signs." Madame Pomfrey continued. "You see, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger has been hit with a de-aging spell that was coupled with a deflection and memory spell. Those girls used very advanced versions of those spells. This results in Hermione Granger becoming de-aged. She won't remember very much, and the memories that do filter in will be distorted so she is not afraid of us or concerned with anything that would normally not make sense, but in an essence, she will be a child again."

"But…she's still stuck to me." Draco stated. He had stripped away all the finer details to the few facts that would be the most important to him. "She's still stuck to me and now she's a kid."

"In essence, yes." Dumbledore said gently. "I understand if you need a few moments to wrap your head around this. It's a bit overwhelming."

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Draco growled. He clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath. "I guess this means you'll want me to take care of her."

"That would be very kind and considerate of you." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle. "Of course, if you would prefer, we can always transfer one of her friends into all of your classes, to care for Miss Granger."

Draco closed his eyes, trying to imagine being trapped with one of Granger's moronic friends. "That won't be necessary. How long will she be…be like that?"

"Not too long, I hope, as the spell sizzled out almost immediately after it was cast. Of course, this has only been recorded once, so I'll have to take notes. You'll have to bring her up every day so I can make sure her vitals are normal and everything is alright with her." Madame Pomfrey clapped her hands in a way that Draco really and truly did not appreciate.

"I do not think Mr. Malfoy shares your sentiments, Poppy." Dumbledore laughed lightly. "I can arrange for dinner to be brought up here tonight, Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you." Draco said stiffly. He dropped down onto his chair, frowning as Madame Pomfrey moved to curtain Granger out of view. "How long is it going to take until the transformation is complete?"

"Oh, not long now. Not long at all." Madame Pomfrey replied.

Draco pursed his lips. Under his breath, he began cursing the very day he ever met Hermione Granger.

**XXXXXX**

Two hours later, Draco was bored out of his mind. He had taken to walking around the curtain, making sure to stay well within his limits.

"Draco, we brought dinner!" Pansy's voice reached him.

Draco turned to see his friends all smiling at him. Pansy had a plate in her hands.

"We heard about what happened to Hermione. Is she alright?" Daphne asked. "What's going on?"

Draco accepted the food from Pansy and sat down, beginning to explain.

"You mean, right now, she's transforming into a little kid?" Theo confirmed in awe. "That's…really odd."

"I'm going to kill Ambrosia and Yasmin." Draco said calmly. "They have no idea how much pain and suffering I am about to go through."

"I honestly can't even imagine you taking care of a baby Granger." Blaise snickered.

"Shush, you." Pansy smacked him lightly. "Don't worry, Draco, we'll help. You won't have to raise her on your own."

"I'm not raising her, Pansy. It's not like she's my actual _child_. I'm just watching her until she gets back to her regular age." Draco responded.

"Still, this'll be fun. It will be good practice for us, Blaise." Pansy grinned at her boyfriend, watching as he paled a little.

"I don't want to think about children just yet." Blaise blanched.

Pansy and Daphne dissolved into lighthearted laughter.

Madame Pomfrey rushed into the room.

"It's just about time. You all stay behind the curtain, do you understand? When I feel comfortable enough allowing Miss Granger to see the rest of you, I will pull it." Madame Pomfrey ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Theo agreed for all of them.

The nurse ducked behind the curtain. At first, there was silence. Then, a loud, powerful scream rang out, making everyone jump a little.

After the scream and a little bit of soothing noises from Madame Pomfrey, there were soft sobs. It was a good eight minutes before the sobs subsided, and Madame Pomfrey began to murmur something.

Then, the curtain was pushed back, and Madame Pomfrey held a child in her arms.

The little girl had soft, chestnut colored hair that reached her shoulders in smooth waves, and she had two rosy cheeks. When she opened her mouth, everyone could see that she was missing her two front teeth. She was small, so small that someone would have guessed she was only two years old. That couldn't have been the case, however, as her big doe eyes held pools of intelligence far beyond any toddler's.

"Mr. Malfoy, meet Hermione Granger." Madame Pomfrey said proudly. She bent down and let Hermione onto the floor.

Hermione took a few steps forward – and then fell down. She rose unsteadily and toddled over to Draco.

"What's your name?" She asked excitedly, in a voice that decidedly did not belong to a two-year-old. "I'm He-He-Hewhiny. My mommy and daddy call me Mione. I'm five years old. How old are you? Are you going to take care of me? That nice lady over there said you were going to take care of me while my mommy and daddy are gone."

Draco blinked. Well, at least that explained her age. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Dra….Drac…Draco." Hermione pronounced carefully. She glanced up triumphantly. "I can say your name! I can't say mine right yet. I wish I could but it's really _hard_. I wish I had a nice name."

Hermione had a beautiful pronunciation. Most of her words were crisp and clean, and there was a slight whistle whenever she said her 's's and her 'r's. It was rather ironic how she could say everything perfectly, except her own name.

"Oh, I think your name is lovely." Pansy told her. "I'm Pansy, by the way."

"Pansy." Hermione repeated. She beamed.

"I'm Daphne. This is Theo, and that over there is Blaise." Daphne told her.

"Da…Daph…Daphne." Hermione murmured. "Theo and Blaise. I got it!"

"It's very nice to meet you, Hermione Granger." Theo said, hiding a smile.

"You said my name right!" Hermione gasped. "How?"

"I think you just need your front teeth to say it." Theo replied, smiling a little.

Hermione frowned sadly and pushed her tongue through the small gap. "I hope they come soon."

"Don't worry, they will eventually." Daphne told her. "Come on, are you hungry?"

Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"No way." Draco cut in. "You are not taking her down to the Great Hall. In case you forgot, we're still attached. And until I _have_ to be seen with a child, I won't."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Nothing." Daphne assured her. "Don't worry. Come on, you can have some of Draco's food."

Draco rolled his eyes, but he leaned back in his chair and handed the plate to Pansy. There was a sense of dread in his stomach, but he had long since learned how to ignore it.


	13. Chapter 13

**So, apparently, I haven't updated this story in over a year. Whoops. **

In all actuality, Draco really should have seen this coming. Pansy and Daphne were cooing over little Granger like she was their own child. Blaise looked an appropriate amount of uncomfortable, and Theo was trying to hide his amusement.

At least Draco didn't have to do anything with the kid yet.

It wasn't long until little Hermione Granger began yawning and drooping. Daphne gathered her up in her arms and turned to Draco. "Do you want help taking her back to your room?"

"That would be nice." Draco admitted. He really wasn't in the mood to hold her yet.

Madame Pomfrey intercepted them on their way out. "Oh, Mr. Malfoy! Hold on just a moment. You remember what I told you, that Miss Granger must be brought up every day?"

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey." Draco muttered.

"Professor McGonagall has informed me that she's had a few necessities brought into your room for the two of you, clothing and otherwise. Professor Snape has also asked me to tell you that he expects you to be in class starting tomorrow. He does not wish for you to miss any more of your classes. Understood?"

Draco clenched his teeth. Of course. His life could not be easy for one second. Disaster after disaster just kept falling into his lap. Where the heck was Hermione Granger going to go while he was in class? He was pretty sure Hogwarts didn't have a daycare, which meant –

"I understand." Draco growled. "May we go now?"

"Yes, of course. Curfew is in an hour, so do be quick, children."

"I hadn't realized it had gotten so late!" Daphne exclaimed. "We'd better hurry."

"We've never seen Draco's new room, though." Pansy reminded her. "We have to spend some time there."

"What time?" Draco groaned. "You just walk in, drop Granger on the bed, turn around in a circle, then walk out. No time involved."

"There's a reason you weren't involved in this conversation." Pansy sniffed.

From her spot in Daphne's arms, Hermione giggled sleepily.

"You should be sleeping." Daphne bopped her on the nose. Hermione giggled some more and snuggled closer to her.

"I'm not tired." She yawned.

"Are you sure?" Pansy asked.

"Yes." Hermione mumbled.

"Positive?"

"Yes."

"One hundred percent?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

Hermione giggled some more. "No."

"That's what I thought." Pansy flipped her hair, sending Hermione into another giggling fit.

Draco grit his teeth. If he had to hear that inane giggle all night –

"Draco?" Hermione tilted her head to look at him. "You're gonna take care of me, right?"

"That's right." Daphne told her. "Draco's going to watch you and make sure you're safe and happy."

"Then how come Draco doesn't look happy?"

"He's just tired." Pansy explained. Once Hermione looked satisfied with the answer, Pansy shot Draco a worried look.

Draco rolled his eyes. He whispered, "Tell me you would be happy if you had to bring a kid to class with you."

Blaise shrugged. "He does have a point, Pans."

Pansy sighed heavily. "That's the problem."

Before Draco could ask her what she meant by that, they arrived at the room he shared with Granger.

"It's rather…plain." Pansy sniffed once he let them in.

"Homely." Daphne agreed.

"Sleepy." Hermione spoke up.

"Right, let's get you to bed."

While Daphne and Pansy helped Hermione into her pajamas and into the bed, Draco collapsed onto his and groaned loudly.

"Good luck, mate." Blaise said.

"You're going to need it." Theo added.

"I can't wait to see what Potter and Weasley's reaction will be when you bring a baby Hermione Granger to class tomorrow morning." Blaise snickered at Draco's expression.

"I forgot they didn't already know." Draco moaned. He swore softly, hoping the girls wouldn't overhear.

"Good luck." Blaise repeated.

Hermione's soft, even breathing was the cue for the others to leave. Draco didn't bother to get up, just waving them out with his arm. He shut his eyes and prayed that his was all just a terrible, terrible, dream.


End file.
